A national survey of public library funding and technology access was mailed to public libraries early September 2008. The survey, part of a broader study of public library funding and technology access issues, is funded by the American Library Association and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and conducted by researchers from Florida State University's Information Use Management and Policy Institute and the University of Maryland’s Center for Library Innovation, and builds on research conducted since 1994.

The ALA Public Programs Office is pleased to partner with the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) for the sixth We the People Bookshelf project. Part of the NEH’s We the People program, the Bookshelf encourages young people to read and understand great literature while exploring themes in American history.

School and academic librarian nominations open for Carnegie Corporation of New York/New York Times I Love My Librarian Award

Nominations for librarians in schools, colleges, community colleges and universities begin this week for the Carnegie Corporation of New York/New York Times I Love My Librarian Award.

Administered by the American Library Association’s Public Information Office and Campaign for America’s Libraries, the award encourages library users to recognize the accomplishments of librarians for their
efforts to improve the lives of people in their community.

Articles by practicing academic, public, school, special librarians
sharing their experiences on how U.S. librarians are not tied to computers
inside libraries: how librarians partner, outreach, and market libraries in

The Research Society for Victorian Periodicals is very pleased to award the annual Robert Colby Scholarly Book Prize for a scholarly book that most advances the understanding of the nineteenth-century British newspaper and/or periodical press. All books exploring periodicals of the period are eligible (including single-author monographs, edited collections, and editions) as long as they have a publication date of 2008. The winner will receive a plaque and a monetary award of up to $3,000, and will be invited to speak at the RSVP conference at the University of St.

ALA's Advocacy Institute, entitled "Making our Voices Heard," will take
place from 1 to 5 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 18. The workshop will offer
advocacy essentials such as message development and coalition building
and offers a valuable opportunity to network and share ideas with
library advocates who work to meet the information needs of the Latino
community. Attendees will leave with the tools necessary to become
better advocates for their bilingual and multicultural communities and
campuses. Guest speakers will include Mario Ascencio, immediate

Washington, DC—Dr. Anne-Imelda Radice, Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services ( IMLS ), announced today that 776 museums, libraries, and archives, representing every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam have been selected to receive the IMLS Connecting to Collections Bookshelf.